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>Pre-title scene- I'm not really feeling this shot. It just
>doesn't grab you...then when the light came on, I wasn't
>really sure where this was going. Once the title came up, I
>dug it more. "Strangers"...what are we talking about here?
>What does he see? What kind of stranger? I didn't like the
>shot really, but I liked the set up, it puts the title in a
>great place to help define how the first little scenelet is
>relevant to the film, and it cuts you off before we see what
>the hell the light is, adding mystery. I didn't turn the film
>off at this point. I wanted to keep watching, I was grabbed.
Good  That's really what the hope is...just a catchy kinda opening shot that intrigues someone.
>
>First scene- First of all, that teacher is sexy. Nice face,
>soothing voice...that is a TILF through and through. She's a
>pretty good actress too, she definitely has the reassuring
>quality of a elementary school teacher. The mom I thought was
>a shitty actress and had no chemistry with her son, but maybe
>I'm nitpicky and she'll sell me later. The son I thought was
>really good too... that kid seems like a real kid, not "child
>actor playing normal non-child-actor child". The only shot I
>didn't really like in this scene was the kid leaving, which to
>me was like this: "I want to put the camera in a different
>place than all the other shots...you! Walk this
>way...good...good...stop. Cut." I had no problem with all the
>close shots of the characters staying around the desk. It's an
>intimate meeting, and each character has an interesting
>relationship. I don't need to see the kid walk out of the
>room, I know he's leaving. I feel like the only reason the
>shot exists is to show the room. Technical and acting views
>aside, I like this scene too. I still haven't turned the film
>off. I wanna see the kid's project, I wanna know what happened
>in that scene with the light. Me likee.
The classroom scene was a tough day for many reasons but Crystal (the teacher) was great. I thought she had the exact look and feel neccessary for the scene, and when the director and I were going through audition tapes, she never occured to us as one who was in the running...but when we re-watched, it was obvious she was who we wanted.
>
>Second scene (the asshole dad scene)- There's been a couple of
>shots where the film loses the focus that I think it desires,
>which is on the boy, the main character, what he knows, what
>he wants to know, et cetera. The p.o.v. shot of the parents
>watching was weird to me. Why couldn't it have been of the boy
>watching the parents? It seemed like another "this could be a
>good camera angle that shows the room" shot, when I don't
>really give a shit about the room, I wanna know what that boy
>knows. I LOVED the zooms on the TV and then the boy. You
>little fucker, what do you know?? (although I did wonder, what
>kind of a show leaves a sketch of an alien stereotype on the
>screen for twenty seconds?
Haha, well let's talk about that for a second. I'd agree with you on the POV shot...I like the shot, but I'm not entirely sure how neccessary it is. The push ins were done without the TV on, so later that stuff was created in After Effects (I believe). We didn't have the money to reshoot a TV show type scene on video and throw that in, so that was all we had really. I thought it was done decently given the existing footage.
and when the dad talked, were they
>watching this show on mute?)
No - the sound mix isn't 100% done yet. That'll be added in.
The kid is interesting, and when
>the focus is on him and inviting us to think about what he
>knows/wants to know, I really am interested in the film. But
>the p.o.v. shot is problematic, cuz I don't want to see what
>he sees...I want to see him seeing it. You feel me? I'm trying
>to explain what I can't quite put my finger on, but I think
>that's what I'm trying to say. The stereotypical asshole dad
>reminded me of Aaron Eckhart in Nurse Betty. I don't know how
>I feel about the asshole dad yet either.
Cool - this is excellent feedback.
>
>Third scene (the alien child molester scene)- NICE! I did NOT
>expect that alien arm, that shit gave me chills. Now also I
>see why all of those shots of the kid in bed are kind of at a
>neutral point...I said in the pre-scene that I wasn't feeling
>it, but now I understand...they show us his very immediate
>surroundings, but deny us the whole picture. At first I wanted
>something closer and more intimate, or something more whole
>and farther away, but now I'm feeling it. Nice alien effects
>too by the way.
Man, lemme tell you how much of a bitch that alien effect was. We had a GREAT make up artist who said she'd be able to do that effect...and man it was rough. Our arm model is a friend of mine, and she literally sat in that makeup for 4-5 hours after having it done. Sounds not so bad, but her arm itched, it was heavy, and she couldn't use the arm whatsoever. Our effects guy said it'd be better for us to do the arm in camera with makeup rather than putting it in CGI style which we were going to do, and I agree. Anyway that's the poster shot right there...that scene gave me chills to shoot.
>
>Fourth scene (the annoying daughter scene)- Arrrgh I fucking
>hate that girl. She REEKS of "look at me! I'm acting!" Her
>dialogue doesn't help matters either. The mom is very cold
>towards the son though she says warm things, and the less said
>about the unconvincing asshole dad, the better. The cut when
>he banged the table was very well done though, and I like this
>little kid as an actor. Otherwise, I don't like this
>scene...at all. It doesn't really further the story. We know
>the dad's an asshole, we know the kid saw something. I just
>don't see the point as to this scene.
There's one unscripted line in that scene - can you find it? In fact when we were watching the dailies, the director said, "Ugh, I hate my dialog man...that's the only good line." I disagree cause the dialog is alright, but the line was the best part of the scene (at least in terms of dialog). Now, the little girl was an absolute dream to work with. She and the mom were absolute professionals and both were super cool. The girl is a stage-type personality, but she's young and she'll learn. Grant, the little boy, is a helluva actor but can be problematic (actually very much so, but I won't get into that). Kristen, the mom, I thought was fantastic...but that's me
>
>Fifth scene (the camera setup sequence)- I REALLY like this.
>It's all about watching the kid, watching him think, how is he
>going to solve the problem, et cetera. I also love the Kermit
>arm around the camera. I like the direction this film is
>heading in, especially because I was scared it would stall
>after the last scene.
>
I believe that was our first day of shooting. The kermit thing wasn't a last second throw in, but the arm around the camera was. I dug it.
>Sixth scene (he turns it ON)- I just really like this kid. I
>don't know if he could fool an alien with his "casual stretch
>and push remote" thing, but hey, good idea for a kid. I can't
>wait to see what he taped.
Yeah, the stretch is a....well, stretch, but you got it. Leap of faith, suspension of disbelief, whatever. Hahah.
>
>Seventh scene (he turns it IN)- GOD I WANTED TO WATCH IT WITH
>THE CLASS! I like the kid's makeup, I like the very believable
>class setting. It feels like some fourth grade shit. I can dig
>it. Good scene. "Why I Believe" and the teacher's warm
>reception of what she knows is bullshit= cool.
>
All those extras were the shit. So fun to work with...especially the kid wearing the Prince gear. It was a thought to dress up a kid as Flava Flav, but we opted not to. Anyway, with so many kids, it was a rough scene to shoot, but we lucked out getting that classroom. The decorations are actually my mom's Halloween decorations and if you look closely, you'll see most of them jump around from scene to scene, hahaha.
>Eighth scene (mom leaves/ dad is somewhat docile)- I hope that
>stuff has a point, cuz it's scenes with the worst actors in
>the film, that annoying fucking daughter, and makes the
>"asshole dad" thing seem like a cheap setup to leave the two
>of them alone. WHEN DO WE SEE THE TAPE? The fact that the two
>of them are alone better have a kickass payoff.
>
And yeah, that scene had a point
>Ninth scene (teacher opens the tape)- That's a nice couch for
>an elementary school teacher's salary, LOL. Anyhow, I like
>this. The pictures are pretty spooky, and her reaction is cut
>off JUST before it hits a firm reaction, so it leaves me in
>suspense as to (a) what the hell is on the tape, and (b) how
>she'll truly react. Good sequence.
In fact, that couch was right about...oh, 10 feet from the dining room at the house we were shooting. Of course, you wouldn't know that, but it's good to know people buy it as 2 different locations. I loved shooting that scene just for the fact that the TV light was artificial. It looks great to me, the footage was awesome.
>
>Tenth section (dad in chair/teacher uses phone/kid washing
>face)- The dad in the chair was lame, I didn't see the point
>to it. It was too long and god I hate the dad. The teacher's
>gonna call, I like where the narrative is headed. Also, the
>shot of the kid in the mirror is the second most impressive of
>the film (first being the alien arm), it's really solemn and
>kinda fucking spooky. I expected to see the alien reach around
>and grab him or some shit. Pretty cool stuff. But again, boy
>do I hate that dad.
That's probably my favorite shot of the film...and again, that scene *DID* have a point but it takes until the end of the film to find out what its point was. I can't believe you hate the dad so much, hahahah. Maybe that's a testament to his acting, or perhaps you just hate the character, but I dug him. He was actually a good actor and is now getting some work (Cold Case, a few commercials, etc.)
>
>Eleventh scene (Halloween party)- The setup is too long. It
>should go from outside to the mom looking towards her purse. I
>liked the cut to closer on the mom's face as the kid ran by,
>that was smooth. Also, her reaction is the best acting she's
>done in the film. She has more chemistry with a phone than her
>own son.
That's my living room, haha.
>
>Twelfth scene (um...holy shit)- A series of nice shots in
>here... the creep up the stairs, the editing for the montage
>at the end, the parallels for the hands...I won't give away
>the ending, in case people want to watch the film unspoiled,
>but it wasn't totally unexpected. However, there was a damn
>good job done covering up the truth throughout the film. My
>only problem is in spoiler:
Yeah, it was a good shot. What'd you think of the hands going back and forth? It was going to be better, but since the make up was on her arm for so long...it started to crack, so we couldn't get it at the shot we originally planned on...so that's what we have. Was it clear?
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>*SPOILER WARNING!!*
>
>
>
>
>Why did the kid turn in that tape to the teacher? Did he watch
>it first? Why wouldn't he give it to his mom? Also, why did he
>draw the pictures of aliens if it wasn't actually an alien? I
>felt like afterwards when I thought about it that the whole
>turning in the tape was just to lead us away from the truth,
>and I don't know if it's made clear why exactly he turned it
>in to her.
Well, the whole point of the story was a psychological masking...he didn't wanna watch it because of this, and the mom didn't watch it cause...well...it's a leap of faith for the story, hahaha. But yeah, he's masking the dad with aliens to take the sting away from the molestation.
>*SPOILER OVER!*
>
>In conclusion, I liked it. Some really nice shots, a good kid
>actor, and an interesting story to tell. The scenes I
>complained about now seem much more justified, considering the
>direction the film needs to head in towards the end. However,
>maybe there's a way to establish the family better? (better
>actors could help...though the mom did alright by the end)
>Maybe there's a better, less stereotypical way to establish
>the asshole dad/ the mom who doesn't understand/ the annoying
>sister. I don't know. Thinking back, the fourth and the eighth
>scene are much more necessary and really cool in relation to
>the film's conclusion (also including the dad in the chair).
>Maybe the film just needed a better couple of actors in the
>family. Maybe the dialogue needed a bit o' extra spice. I'm
>not sure. The only big problem I had was with the family
>subplot, which can't be cut, so maybe it's just the actors.
I'd agree with you for the most part...although I really liked our cast. Which is rare, cause usually I really hate actors. But yeah the dialog was iffy at some points, but overall I thought the "setup/punchline" type thing worked for this film.
>
>Really nice work done here. Good little short film, and I'd
>certainly trust these people (with a better dialogue writer
>perchance) to make a full-length of some sort.
>
Thank you, best compliment I could have recieved.
>Things to be proud of:
>- that kid
>- some of the cinematography
>- the execution of the narrative and the structure, which
>maximized my interest
>
>Things that could use work:
>- acting
>- the shots that didn't stick to the central point of "seeing
>what the kid sees" until the point in the film where it
>becomes important at the end what the teacher and mother see
>- dialogue (the scenes without dialogue and the least
>talkative character, the kid, are the most interesting things
>in the film)
>
>This is some shit to be proud of. Not your typical shitty film
>student film. This points towards a lot of potential for
>growth and further talent to come.
>
>Cheers.
I really do appreciate it man...great to get a little bit of feedback from PTP as I've done nothing but talk shit about other people's films
>
>
>
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